The fourth quarter heralds the first glimpses of the school year's end, which can be exhilarating and bittersweet — looking at you, parents of seniors! Tempting as it may be to focus on the countdown toward summer break, make the most of today and the time you have been given to sow seeds of truth into these young lives. Whether you're in the classroom or the home, share the gospel of Jesus Christ with this captive audience, for their formation as well as yours.
Our accreditation with ACSI is being reviewed this month for renewal. The OCS faculty, administration, and school board have been working for several months to prepare for this important three-day site visit (special thanks to Mrs. Rozier, Mrs. Prendergast, Mrs. Garrett, Mrs. New, Ms. Morales, Mrs. Noice, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Johnston, and Mr. Towns). They have gathered and organized the necessary data to present a picture of what happens here at OCS on a daily basis.
The reviewers coming next week have expertise in private Christian schools and they will assess various dimensions of OCS. We have confidence that the final report will conclude that we meet the required standards of excellence to continue to be accredited with ACSI and Cognia. But more importantly, this process will give us additional insights from an outside perspective, which is invaluable for continuous school improvement.
As a part of this process, some students and parents in our community have been asked to connect with the accreditation team. They desire the opportunity to hear from our community regarding their experience at OCS. All of this work is part of our overall goal to “cultivate an environment in which followers of Christ may flourish as they become biblical thinkers, lifelong learners, and servant leaders.” We are grateful for ACSI and the guidance offered as our staff engages your students to form their minds around a distinctly Christian view of reality.
Accreditation ensures that a school is being formed in a healthy manner. Education is all about formation—and not just for school-aged students. I want to leave you with an encouragement to pursue knowledge of the one true God. Our school is only as strong as the families who commit to partner with us, and those families are made up of individuals who make choices each day about the people they are becoming. Our staff is reading Delighting in the Trinity this semester for just this reason: to be purposely formed by meditating on who God is. From the introduction, we read:
"Nonetheless, getting to know God better does actually make for far more profound and practical change as well. Knowing the love of God is the very thing that makes us loving. Sensing the desirability of God alters our preferences and inclinations, the things that drive our behavior: we begin to want God more than anything else....[this] is not to play an intellectual game. In fact, we will see that the triune nature of this God affects everything from how we listen to music to how we pray: it makes for happier marriages, warmer dealings with others, better church life; it gives Christians assurance, shapes holiness and transforms the very way we look at the world around us. No exaggeration: the knowledge of this God turns lives around." (Michael Reeves, Delighting in the Trinity, page 10)
Knowledge of Him affects everything, including how we use our time. May we all become stronger followers of Jesus Christ and more effective at discipling our children to the glory of God, especially as we near the end of this school year.
Penny Hayes M.Ed.
Head of School
